Switching mechanism for player pianos



Sept 18, 1923. 1,468,139

T. DANQUARD SWITCHING MECHANISM FEJR PLAYER PIANOS an T Filed March 31Patented Sept .'18, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS DANQUARD,

or NEW YORK, N. Y., assrcnoa TO AUTO PNEUMATIC ACTION COMPANY, ACORPORATION or NEW YO K.

SWITCHING'MECHANISIII FOR PLAYER PIANOS.

Y a all '20 ham it may come m Be it known that I, THoMAs I)ANQUARD, acitizen .of the United States, residing at New York, in thecounty of NewYork and State of New York, have invented a new and useful thvitehingMechanism for Player lianos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a switching mechanism particularly designedfor use in player pianos. T

It is now common to equip player pianos with especial expression oraccenting devices controlled from tracker openings. As the number ofavailable tracker openings is limited, it is also common to steal a fewof the regular note openings to control parts of the accent-ing orexpression mechanism. Specially cut music is'always required with suchexpression or accenting devices.

It frequently happens that the operator of the instrument desires to useregular eighty-eight note music in the same instrument. and it is thendesirable to use all of the eighty-eight notes of the standard playerpiano. it is one object of my invention to provide improved mechanismfor switching the tracker openings from one set of connections toanother. so that either style of music may he used. I I

lt is also sometimes desirable to use a certain special device, such asa reroll. mechanism, with both kinds of music, but to control saiddevice from different tlHCkQP-OPGIL iugs. lt is another object of myinvention to provide means for-thus connecting a single evice to eitherone of two tracker openings.

Further objects of my invention relate to certain arrangements andcombinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and moreparticularly pointed out in the ap pendciil claims.

A preferred form. of my invention is shown in the drawings, in whichFig.1 is a front elevation of a portion of '2 music-box. with myswitching mechanism mounted thereon:

Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of the switch ing mechanism; I I

Fig. 3 is a side'elevation of the manually controlled switch lever;

Fig. 4: is a plan view of the switch base, with one valve block inposition;

Figs. 5 and 6 are partial sectional front elevations, taken along thelines 5-53 and (3 6 in Fig. at;

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional elevation taken along the line 7-7 inFig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a bottom view of one of the valve blocks, and

Figs. 9 and 10 are detail plan views, showing the connections made bythe block shown in Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a music or spoolbox 20 having atracker bar 21, and supporting the usual music roll 22 and note-sheet23. My improved switching mechanism is preferably mounted on the top ofthe music box 20 and comprises a base 2+L. a plurality of valve-hlocks25 (Fig. 5), and a bar 26 mounted to slide between guides 27 andlongitudinally of the base 24. A screw 28 extending throi'lgh a slot ina plate 30 and threaded in to the bar 26 limits longitudinal movementthereof in both directions.

The bar 26 is connected by a link 31 to a bcll'crank 82, mounted upon. afixed pivot 33 and connected by a link 34 to an arm secured to a shortshaft 36. The shaft 36 extends through the side of the music box 20 andis provided with an, arm or handle 37 at its inner end, projectingforward over an index plate 38, (Fig. Stop-pin limit the movement of thehandle in both directions. The switching mechanism is operated by thehandle 37 to render the QX1)TOQ sion mechanism operative or inoperativeas desired.

The base 2a is divided into several sections, each controlled by asingle valvebloek 25, and having from two to six openings in its upperface, suitably connected to tracker openings or to devices to becontrolled from the tracker.

The most complete arrangement is shown at A in Fig. 4., atwhich pointthere are two sets of three passages each, having their open ends inparallel rows. The middle passages l0 and 41. are each connected tocorresponding tracker openings. The left hand passages 42 and 43 may beconnected to the usual. player actions, and the right hand passages 4-1and 45 will be correspondingly connected to special. expression devices.

The corresponding valve-block 25 is shown in Figs. 5 and G in its righthand position, connecting the passage 40 from a tracker opening. throughthe valve-block and the passage let to one of the expression devices andat the same time connecting the passage ll from another tracker openingtllltlitlgli the valve-block and the passage l to another expressiondevice.

It the valve-block .5 is now moved to its left-hand position. thepassage will be connected to the passage and the ntssage -11 will beconnected to the passage 4:3, thus rendering operable the two regularnote playing actions connected thereto.

It sometimes desirable to connect a gle special device, such as are-roll mechith either type oi? note sheet to control said device from adifferent; tracker opening with each note sheet.

For this purp I arrange the base Section It (Fig. 4

and provide the valve block showi in R to it), having the usual passagesand 5. as in the block 1 previously described. and ha also an additiodiag 'inall wdispose age t8 a port l5) with the 12c e l Thecoin'iections for this val e block are shown in Figs. 9 and W, in which"ti and 5t indicate passages connected to tracker to one he usual noteplaying actions. and 5 3 and at are passages connected to specialdevices. Let it be further assumed that the passage 53 is connected to art-roll niecl auism or to soin, other device to be used with both typesof note sheets.

It the exp ession mechanism is to be used, the valve block 25 is shiftedto the position shown in Fig. 9. in which the passagcae 52: troin there-roll mechanism connected throng] the va ve block and the passage toone tracker bar opening. while the pas- ;age :i-l-

the same time connects an exdevice to another tracker opening n'tions isconnected through the and to the tracker bar, and

. rc-roll or other mechanism is connected through the passage 53 port4-9,

diagonal passage 48 and passage 51 to the rr ter bar.

will thu v appear that the re-roll mech- It auism is UQ'Jl'trldj Tconnected with the tracker bar in both positions of the valve-block 25",but connected to a different. tracker opening in each position oi theblock.

Each valve-block is preferably provided its tendi 1g upward into anadditional opening in the under side of the bar 26. The pins 55accurately position the valve block and the spring 57 holds the sameiirn'ily seated against the base 24.

It will be noted from Fig. l that the passages in the base 2% arevariously grouped and arranged as ma be found desirable in actualpractice.

Having thus described m invention and one embodiment thereof. it will beevident that changes and modifications can be made therein by thoseskilled in the art, withiv the spirit and scope ot my inventiim as setforth in the claims, and I do not wish to be otherwise limited to thedetails herein disclosed, but what I claim is:-

1. In a 1' iano-pla ver a plurality of tracker controlled devi es. and aswitchin mechauism comprising means efl'cctive to connect. one of saiddevices to either one of two difierent tracker openings, and twoadditional devices by the same operating means alternately to a singletracker opening.

A switching mechanism for a playerpiano comprising a base, connectionsfrom said base to a plurality of tracker openings. additionalconnections from said base to a plurality o't tracker controlleddevices, a plurality oi valve blocks sl'idahle on said base. and manualmeans to move said blocks simultaneously to either one ot two operativepositions. said blocks having longitudii'iallv extended air passagestherein. and one of said blocks having an additional diagonal passagewhereby one device may be connected to either oi? two different trackeropenings.

3. A switching mechanism for a player piano comprising a base havingopenings in face, a plurality of valve blocks mounted on said base andhaving air passages therein. a c: p for said base having a longitudinalguide-Way therein, a bar mounted to slide in said guide-way over saidblocks, said blocks and bar having (xi-operating pins and holes torelatively position said blocks, separate springs interposed betweensaid bar and said blocks to independently seat each block on said base.and manual means to slide said bar, moving said blocks simultaneously onsaid base.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto at fixed my signature.

THOMAS DANQUARD.

